Air Quality

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of air quality standards in Hull North constituency.

Ben Bradshaw: Local authorities have a duty under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 to review and assess the current, and likely future, air quality in their areas. Where local authorities consider that one or more of the nationally prescribed air quality objectives for each of the seven pollutants is unlikely to be met by the relevant deadline, they must declare an air quality management area (AQMA), covering the area where the problem is expected. These local authorities must then take action, along with other agencies and organisations, to work towards meeting the air quality objectives.
	Kingston-upon-Hull city council submitted their last Updating and Screening Assessment (USA) in July 2003. The authority subsequently carried out a Detailed Assessment in respect of nitrogen dioxide, particles (PM10), and sulphur dioxide, which was submitted to my Department in May 2004. In light of the conclusions of the Detailed Assessment, Kingston declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) in respect of nitrogen dioxide, in August 2005. Kingston is currently developing their air quality action plan, which will set out measures to work towards meeting the air quality objective. They have included measures within Hull city council's local transport plan, which should improve the capacity to deliver cleaner air within the AQMA.
	The next round of review and assessments has now started and local authorities are asked to submit a new Updating and Screening Assessment by end of April 2006, which will be considered by my officials. My Department will be assessing Kingston-upon-Hull's report as part of this exercise.

Chewing Gum

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to tackle chewing gum-related anti-social behaviour; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 specifically addresses this type of antisocial behaviour. Chewing gum is clearly defined as litter under the Act, and all local authorities have the power to fine people caught dropping gum.
	The Chewing Gum Action Group—which brings together chewing gum manufacturers, the Local Government Association, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, ENCAMS (who run the 'Keep Britain Tidy' campaign), Department for Education and Skills (DfES), the Improvement and Development Agency and Defra—recently announced funding for 15 local authorities across England to support campaigns aimed at helping them deal with the problem of gum litter.
	The campaigns will use a mixture of advertising, alternative disposal and enforcement measures to reduce gum litter in these areas.

Emissions

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2004, Official Report, column 824W, on emission levels, whether local authorities are obliged to include conditions which represent the best available techniques when issuing a permit under the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999;
	(2)  what steps her Department intends to take to ensure compliance with Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control SG2 for new glass-making facilities.

Ben Bradshaw: The Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations require local authorities, in deciding what conditions to include in a permit, to take account of various principles, including that installations "should be operated in such a way that all appropriate preventative measures are taken against pollution, in particular through application of the best available techniques". It is for local authorities to decide on the facts of each individual case, having regard to any guidance issued to them by the Secretary of State, what constitutes the best available techniques in that case.
	Statutory guidance note SG2 sets out the Secretary of State's views on what constitute the best available techniques for the generality of glass manufacturing activities. Regulators must have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State. It does not specify the standards that must be included in individual permits.

Exercise Hawthorns

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the results from Exercise Hawthorns will be made known.

Ben Bradshaw: Exercise Hawthorn was scheduled to take place between 5 and 6 April. As soon as we confirmed that highly pathogenic H5 virus had been discovered in a dead swan in Cellerdyke, Scotland on the afternoon of 5 April, the exercise was brought to an end to ensure that we could bring all our resources to bear on this situation.
	Although we are disappointed that the exercise could not be concluded, useful results have been gathered, and we will publish these in the summer.

Recycling

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding Lancashire county council has received to support recyling in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 18 April 2006
	The main source of funding for local authorities' waste management services is the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services (EPCS) block of annual Government grant. It is for local authorities to decide what proportion of the block is invested in waste management services, including recycling. Funding is also provided from DEFRA and a variety of other sources to support sustainable waste management at a local level, including through partnerships with other local authorities. The amounts allocated to Lancashire county council are set out in the table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			  2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 
		
		
			 Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund 61,689+ (1)2,418,363 (1)2,033,201 (1)5,000,000 — — — 
			
			 Waste Performance and Efficiency Grant — — — 500,415 1,318,058 1,380,942 
			
			 Grant to Relieve Spending Pressures on Waste — — 269,914 — — — 
			
			 Household Incentives Pilots Scheme — — — (1)280,000 — — 
			
			 Direct Consultancy Support through DEFRA's Waste  Implementation programme — — (1)25,761 — — — 
			
			 DEFRA's Waste and Resources Action Programme — 154,650 74,999+ 477,100 — — — 
		
	
	(1) As part of a partnership with other local authorities.

Research Contracts

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the research contracts granted by her Department to research facilities in Wales in each of the last 20 years.

Ben Bradshaw: A full response to this question could be made only at disproportionate cost. DEFRA and its predecessor Departments have substantial research programmes. DEFRA currently spends around £160 million annually on research and at any one time has in the order of 1,500 ongoing projects with a large number of contractors.
	However, DEFRA proactively publishes large amounts of data on its R and D projects through its website http://www2.defra.gov.uk/research/project_data/Default.asp This includes information on "live" projects and those completed over recent years. It is also possible to access separate information on research contractors used through this site.

Ring Rot

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the (a) correspondence and (b) meetings the Department has had with representatives from the Royal Netherlands embassy in connection with the outbreak of ring rot of potatoes in 2003 in Wales.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 18 April 2006
	A list of correspondence between the Department and representatives from the Royal Netherlands embassy, in connection with the outbreak of potato ring rot in Wales in 2003, is as follows. This includes some correspondence associated with subsequent outbreaks. There have been no meetings between the Department and the Royal Netherlands embassy to discuss this issue.
	
		List of correspondence between DEFRA and Royal NL embassy concerning the 2003 ring rot outbreak
		
			 Type of correspondence Date Between Subject 
		
		
			 Letter 1 April 2004 McIntosh/Thissen Inviting contributions to the lessons learned review 
			 e-mail 14 May 2004 McIntosh/Thissen Extension to lessons learned review 
			 Letter 26 May 2004 Thissen/McIntosh Response to lessons learned review 
			 Letter 9 June 2004 McIntosh/Thissen Providing draft copy of lessons learned report 
			 Letter 18 June 2004 McIntosh/Thissen With thanks for contributing to the lessons 
			 e-mail 27 August 2004 Thissen/McIntosh Thanks for copy of draft lessons learned review 
			 Letter 8 September 2004 Hunter/Thissen State of affairs 
			 Letter 13 September 2004 McIntosh/Thissen Providing a copy of the final lessons learned review 
			 e-mail 12 October 2004 Thissen/McIntosh State of affairs 
			 e-mail 6 December 2004 McIntosh/Thissen State of affairs 
			 e-mail 5 January 2005 McIntosh/Thissen State of affairs 
			 e-mail 17 January 2005 Rikken/McIntosh/Thissen State of affairs 
			 e-mail 25 January 2005 Rikken/McIntosh/Thissen State of affairs 
			 Letter 2 February 2005 Van Opstal/Thissen/Hunter New notification Regulations 
			 e-mail 26 April 2005 Rikken/McIntosh/Hunter State of affairs

Single Payment Scheme

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to ensure farmers threatened with bankruptcy proceedings by British banks due to delays with Single Farm Payments are offered a guarantee from the Government to the bank up to the level of the sums owing together with interest; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 24 April 2006
	My noble Friend Lord Bach met the British Bankers' Association and other representatives of the major lending banks on 30 March to discuss the situation of farmers awaiting payment under the Single Payment Scheme. The banks re-emphasised on that occasion that
	"no viable business is being refused additional financial support and, as a result, no viable businesses are failing because of uncertainty about the payments timetable".
	I am sure that farmers who have not yet received a payment will have joined the leaders of the NFU, CLA and TFA in welcoming the announcement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 19 April 2006, Official Report, column13WS, that partial payments will be made to them as soon as it is operationally possible to do so.

Wild Birds

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has made for a ban on the import of captive wild birds.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK cannot make a decision to ban imports of wild birds unilaterally. It is for the European Commission to consider, in conjunction with the views or representations of all European Union (EU) member states.
	A temporary ban on the import of captive wild birds into the EU from third countries is currently in place until 31 May 2006. The Government are currently seeking views from interested parties on issues relating to this ban. Any representations to the Commission about extending it will be made after thorough consideration of any comments received.

Notaries Public

Michael Howard: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will seek an amendment of European regulations to ensure that British notaries public are allowed to work in all EU member states; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Christchurch (Mr. Chope) in response to a similar question, on 21 March 2006, Official Report, column 302W.
	The Government continue to support the inclusion of notary services within the European Commission's proposal for a directive on services in the internal market.

South West Regional Development Agency Offices

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of running the South West of England Regional Development Agency offices in Australia, China, Japan and North America in each of the last five years; and what the budget is for these offices for the 2006–07 financial year.

Alun Michael: The South West of England Regional Development Agency has provided the information on the cost of overseas offices as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Australia China Japan North America Total 
		
		
			 2001–02 0 0 180,846 451,873 632,719 
			 2002–03 0 0 264,938 448,698 713,635 
			 2003–04 0 0 410,732 409,939 820,671 
			 2004–05 67,000 50,000 339,530 145,470 601,999 
			 2005–06 70,000 82,000 398,405 122,187 672,592 
			 2006–07 70,000 80,000 400,000 125,000 675,000

Railways

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when (a) he and (b) his officials last met Arriva Trains Wales to discuss (i) capacity and service provision on the South Wales mainline, (ii) improving connecting services west of Cardiff, (iii) overcrowding on trains and (iv) improvements to station facilities and security.

Derek Twigg: Ministers meet with representatives from the train operating companies from time to time where a wide range of issues are discussed.
	There is no specific obligation, within the ATW Franchise Agreement, to enhance station facilities although there is an obligation to enhance security provisions at car parks to railway stations along this route.

Railways

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 7 March 2006, Official Report, column 1280W, on railways, what the levels of overcrowding in peak hours were on train lines on each (a) line and (b) franchise in each year since 199697, broken down by passenger transport executive area.

Derek Twigg: Figures for Passengers in Excess of Capacity (PIXC), a measure which applies to weekday commuter trains arriving in London between 07:00 and 09:59 and those departing London between 16:00 and 18:59 for the train operators, are available in the Libraries of the House.
	The PIXC measure does not apply to other services and the additional information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Speeding (Motorcyclists)

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to reduce the chances of motorcyclists being charged for speeding on the basis of inaccurate evidence; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Evidence of speeding for possible use in court must be provided by equipment that has been type-approved by the Home Secretary. No equipment receives type approval unless it has successfully passed rigorous and comprehensive tests both operationally and in the laboratory. No specific test is prescribed that involves motorcycles, or any other particular sort of vehicle, because they are not considered to present any distinct problems. The operational tests do however involve measuring the speed of any passing traffic including motorcycles. The Home Office are wholly satisfied that when used in accordance with their type approval, the manufacturers' instructions and the Code of Practice issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers all type approved devices are accurate and reliable on motorcycles and in the evidence they produce.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make it her policy to exclude counselling for abortion and abortifacient birth control to school pupils; and if she will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Government support the provision of school-based health services where the school identifies a need. The decision to provide such services, and the content of that service, is for the individual school governing body in consultation with pupils, parent and the wider school community.

Class Sizes

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average (a) class size and (b) pupil to teacher ratio was in (i) primary schools and (ii) secondary schools in (A) Taunton constituency, (B) Somerset and (C) England in each year since 1992.

Jacqui Smith: The following table provides the average class size and pupil-teacher ratios in maintained primary and secondary schools in Taunton constituency, Somerset local authority and in England, January 1992 to 2005, the latest information available.
	Pupil-teacher ratio information prior to 1997 is not available at constituency level.
	
		Average class size(2) and pupil-teacher ratios(3) in maintained primary and secondary(4) schools in Taunton constituency, Somerset local authority and England: January of each year
		
			  1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 
		
		
			 Taunton constituency 
			 Average class size 
			 Primary n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 28.3 28.8 
			 Secondary n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 23.4 24.4 
			 Pupil-teacher ratio 
			 Primary n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 23.7 24.5 
			 Secondary n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 17.9 17.9 
			 
			 Somerset local authority 
			 Average class size 
			 Primary 26.8 27.0 26.9 27.0 27.3 27.6 27.8 
			 Secondary 21.4 21.5 22.1 22.5 23.2 23.2 23.9 
			 Pupil-teacher ratio 
			 Primary 22.3 22.5 22.6 22.6 23.2 23.5 23.9 
			 Secondary 16.0 16.3 16.6 17.0 18.0 18.0 18.1 
			 
			 England
			 Average class size 
			 Primary 26.4 26.6 26.9 27.1 27.3 27.5 27.7 
			 Secondary 20.6 20.9 21.4 21.5 21.7 21.7 21.7 
			 Pupil-teacher ratio 
			 Primary 22.2 22.4 22.7 22.9 23.2 23.4 23.7 
			 Secondary 15.8 16.1 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 16.9 
		
	
	
		
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Taunton constituency
			 Average class size
			 Primary 28.9 28.4 27.1 26.5 26.4 26.3 25.8 
			 Secondary 24.3 24.5 25.4 25.1 25.2 25.1 24.6 
			 Pupil-teacher ratio
			 Primary 24.7 23.9 22.8 22.2 22.6 22.3 21.5 
			 Secondary 18.3 18.6 18.9 18.7 19.0 18.4 18.0 
			 
			 Somerset local authority
			 Average class size
			 Primary 28.0 27.6 26.9 26.0 26.2 26.1 25.8 
			 Secondary 23.9 23.6 23.9 23.5 23.5 23.6 23.3 
			 Pupil-teacher ratio
			 Primary 24.3 23.7 22.9 22.2 22.1 22.2 21.9 
			 Secondary 18.4 18.6 18.5 18.2 18.2 18.1 17.9 
			 
			 England
			 Average class size
			 Primary 27.5 27.1 26.7 26.3 26.3 26.2 26.2 
			 Secondary 21.9 22.0 22.0 21.9 21.9 21.8 21.7 
			 Pupil-teacher ratio
			 Primary 23.5 23.3 22.9 22.5 22.6 22.7 22.5 
			 Secondary 17.0 17.2 17.1 16.9 17.0 17.0 16.7 
		
	
	(2) Classes taught during the one selected period in each school on the day of census in January.
	(3) The within-school PTR is calculated by dividing the total FTE number of pupils on roll in schools by the total FTE number of qualified teachers regularly employed in schools.
	(4) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	n/a=Not available.
	Source:
	Annual School Census

List 99

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts), of 20 January 2006, Official Report, column 1622W, on List 99, on what basis her Department's policy not to identify anyone below Secretary of State level was formulated; and if she will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: All ER 2, recognised the principle of delegation but stated that,
	The Minister is responsible. It is he who must answer before Parliament for anything that his officials [and junior Ministers] have done under his authority.

Teachers

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment her Department has made of the number of (a) male and (b) female teachers in (i) Southend, (ii) Essex, (iii) Greater London and (iv) England who left the profession as a result of stress in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collect centrally.
	Research into the factors affecting teachers' decisions to leave the profession, commissioned by the Department and published in 2003, found that stress was cited as 'of great importance' by around 37 per cent. of primary leavers and around 34 per cent. of secondary leavers in England in calendar year 2002. The full report can be found at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR430.pdf
	The Department has looked closely at stress issues and tackling the sources of stress, such as excessive workload, by providing practical guidance and practical support:
	Workforce reformas well as any reduction in overall hours, reducing administration, more support staff, limits on cover and guaranteed planning, preparation and assessment time will have a positive impact.
	Encouraging better behaviour and attendanceimproving pupil behaviour has a direct impact on reducing teacher stress.
	We have also encouraged better management of teacher health matters through improved occupational health guidance for schools and LEAs, and have worked with employers directly in relation to early intervention to avoid ill-health retirements.
	We have supported the setting up of the Teacher Support Network's (TSN) telephone helpline since its launch in 1999. In March 2006, the service was expanded to provide online support as well.
	We have since November 2003 also supported the TSN's 'well-being' pilot in London schools, which focuses on sustainable improvements in staff well-being and the development of management practices aimed at creating healthy workplaces.

Affordable Dwellings

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average (a) land cost and (b) building cost was for an affordable dwelling in each region in England in the most recent year for which information is available.

Yvette Cooper: The following table shows the average land cost and works cost in each Government office region in 200304 through Social Housing Grant via the Housing Corporation for new build schemes only.
	
		
			
			  Average 
			 Region Land cost Works cost 
		
		
			 East Midlands 26,283 50,344 
			 Eastern 23,465 71,470 
			 London 40,779 90,392 
			 Merseyside 6,455 71,629 
			 North East 6,912 68,533 
			 North West 9,988 70,876 
			 South East 30,034 70,481 
			 South West 19,238 67,888 
			 West Midlands 16,343 61,405 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 7,599 71,927 
		
	
	Source:
	Housing Corporation
	Includes projects for social rent, intermediate rent and sale through Approved Development Programme and Local Authority Social Housing Grant.

Homelessness

Graham Stuart: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households were classified as homeless in (a) Beverley and Holderness, (b) London and (c) England in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level. The constituency of Beverley and Holderness is contained within the East Riding of Yorkshire district council.
	The Government are committed to reducing homelessness and halving the number of households in temporary accommodation by 2010. Its strategy for achieving this is set out in Sustainable Communities: settled homes; changing lives.
	The number of households accepted by the district council as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need for each year since 1996, and the number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by the council under homelessness legislation as at 31 December in each year is tabled as follows. Information is also collected on the number of people who sleep roughthat is, those who are literally roofless on a single nightand these are also presented in the table.
	The duty owed to a person accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available. As an alternative to the provision of temporary accommodation some authorities arrange for households to remain in their current accommodation (homeless at home), until a settled solution becomes available.
	
		Households accepted(9) as homeless during the year, households in temporary accommodation(10)at the end of the year, and numbers of rough sleepers(11)
		
			  East Riding of Yorkshire district council London 
			  Households accepted during the year Households in TA as at 31 December Rough sleepers Households accepted during the year Households in TA as at 31 December Rough sleepers 
		
		
			 1996(12) (13) 6 (13) 25,730 24,600 (13) 
			 1997 247 62 (13) 24,370 25,120 (13) 
			 1998 318 56 0 26,310 29,120 621 
			 1999 283 53 0 28,380 35,900 635 
			 2000 320 48 2 28,230 41,540 546 
			 2001 332 59 2 30,590 44,970 357 
			 2002 462 37 0 28,830 51,030 321 
			 2003 503 44 0 30,510 56,950 267 
			 2004 462 38 0 28,050 61,670 265 
			 2005 440 72 0 22,700 63,800 221 
		
	
	
		
			  England 
			  Households accepted during the year Households in TA as at 31 December Rough sleepers 
		
		
			 1996 113,590 42,220 (13) 
			 1997 102,000 44,870 (13) 
			 1998 104,630 53,790 1,850 
			 1999 105,370 62,180 1,633 
			 2000 111,340 73,080 1,180 
			 2001 117,830 77,510 703 
			 2002 123,840 85,140 596 
			 2003 135,590 94,610 504 
			 2004 127,770 101,030 508 
			 2005 100,170 98,730 459 
		
	
	(9) All households eligible under homelessness legislation, found to be unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category, and consequently owed a main homelessness duty.
	(10) Households in accommodation either pending a decision on their homelessness application or awaiting allocation of a settled home following acceptance. Excludes those households designated as homeless at home that have remained in their existing accommodation and have the same rights to suitable alternative accommodation as those in accommodation arranged by the authority.
	(11) Number of persons sleeping rough, based on local authority mid-year counts or estimates. Data not collected prior to 1998.
	(12) Reflects households accepted and housed under homelessness provisions of the 1985 Housing Act; subsequent years includes cases accepted under the 1996 Housing Act.
	(13) Denotes data not available.
	Source:
	ODPM P1E Homelessness returns (quarterly) and HSSA returns (annual).

Key Worker Initiative

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the (a) take-up and (b) occupation rates of accommodation built under the Government's key worker initiative scheme.

Yvette Cooper: As at 28 February 2006, 2,817 new homes have been provided through the Key Worker Living programme. Of these 65 per cent. have been taken up and are occupied with a further 8 per cent. reserved/under offer.
	Where there are vacant units the reasons for these vary from scheme to scheme but to date common features include:
	many units have been only recently completed and are just being marketed
	some units have been affected by market conditions including competition from developers who are offering large discounts on private units as a short term expedient to shift their stock
	limited eligibility criteria in some parts of the country
	failure of some RSLs to effectively market the units
	To address this, the eligibility criteria for all Key Worker Living new build units was expanded from 14 November to include:
	all clinical NHS staff (except doctors and dentists),
	teachers in schools, further education and sixth form colleges,
	police officers and community support officers,
	uniformed staff in Fire and Rescue Services,
	prison and probation service staff,
	social workers, occupational therapists, educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, rehabilitation officers for the visually impaired and qualified nursery nurses,
	local authority employed clinical staff (e.g. nurses) and;
	local authority planners.
	In addition Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) can consider grant neutral changes to tenure and expanded eligibility criteria.
	In addition 23 new Homebuy Agents are now in place across the country to improve marketing and information to first time buyers. This will make it easier for first time buyers and key workers to find out about local schemes, and also for RSLs to respond in a more flexible and informed way to local demand.

Right to Buy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of right to buy receipts were (a) paid to his Department and (b) retained by councils in each year since 1997; and how much of the total revenue was spent on housing.

Yvette Cooper: The following table shows total capital receipts from right-to-buy sales of local authority dwellings in England in the years 199798 onwards. The figures are net of discount and are as reported by local authorities.
	The table also shows the value of housing capital receipts set-aside by local authorities to repay debt. Until the introduction of the pooling regime in 200405, set-aside was the mechanism that allowed a proportion of housing capital receipts to be redistributed for investment elsewhere.
	As can be seen from the following table, since 1997 the Government have consistently invested more in housing than they have received in receipts. In 200405 the amount paid to Government from all housing receipts (not just right to buy) was 1.7 billion. The amount invested in housing was 4.1 billion i.e. almost 2 times the amount received in receipts. The ratio is expected to increase substantially in the future.
	
		
			  Total housing capital receipts ( million) Set aside/pooling ( million) Set aside/pooling as percentage of housing capital receipts Capital investment ( million) Investment greater than set-aside/pooling by  million 
		
		
			 199798 1,438 943 66 1,894 951 
			 199899 1,630 1,085 67 2,098 1,013 
			 19992000 2,249 1,477 66 2,173 696 
			 200001 2,441 1,626 67 2,866 1,240 
			 200102 2,244 1,382 62 2,696 1,314 
			 200203 3,474 1,626 47 2,943 1,317 
			 200304 3,622 No data n/a 3,964 n/a 
			 200405 3,193 1,700 53 4,135 2,435 
			 200506 No data (14)840 n/a (15)5,223 4,383 
			 200607 No data (14)801 n/a (15)5,347 4,546 
			 200708 No data (14)753 n/a (15)5,665 4,912 
		
	
	(14) Estimated pooled housing capital receipts.
	(15) Programmed expenditure.
	Note:
	Pooling replaced set-aside as the mechanism to invest housing capital receipts in 200405.

Supporting People

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the budget of the Supporting People programme was for (a) north Yorkshire and (b) city of York in (i) 200506 and (ii) 200607.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is set out in the tables.
	
		North Yorkshire 000
		
			  Supporting People Programme Grant Supporting People Administration Grant 
		
		
			 200506 15,584,012 385,412 
			 200607 15,274,485 385,412 
		
	
	
		City of York 000
		
			  Supporting People Programme Grant Supporting People Administration Grant 
		
		
			 200506 8,640,941 243,102 
			 200607 8,436,979 243,102

Scotland Act

Michael Weir: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to (a) the answer of 14 March 2006, Official Report, column 2045W to the hon. Member for Dundee, East (Stewart Hosie) on the Scotland Act 1998 and (b) the announcement that the Secretary of State for Scotland has been carrying out the functions of the Advocate General for Scotland since 18 January 2006; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the determination under section 87(3) of the Scotland Act 1998.

Tony Blair: Yes.

Casualty Evacuation

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many casualty evacuations there have been from (a) Iraq since the start of Operation Telic and (b) Afghanistan since 2001.

Adam Ingram: The latest Aeromed figures for Operation telic are published on the MOD website.
	For the period between March 2003 to 1 January 2006, up to 4,000 UK military and civilian personnel (including a small number of Iraqis) were medically evacuated from Iraq. For the period between 1 January 2006 and 28 February 2006, 133 UK military and civilian personnel were medically evacuated from Iraq.
	The great majority of these cases were due to illness, accidental injury, routine outpatient treatment in the UK or for compassionate reasons and not as a result of hostile action.
	Since 2001, there have been 33 aeromedical evacuations from Afghanistan. The great majority of these cases were due to illness, accidental injury, routine outpatient treatment in the UK or for compassionate reasons and not as a result of hostile action.

Submarines

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the operational criteria are for decisions on whether submarines should berth at Southampton rather than Portsmouth; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Operational criteria as such are not generally considered when deciding which Z berth to use. The strict limitations on nuclear powered submarine operational activities at Z berths mean that these locations are used for planned crew stand-off periods, materiel re-supply and personnel changeovers only.
	It is possible that, for example during the briefing or debriefing phases of an exercise, proximity to other forces may dictate the choice of berth. But otherwise the selection is made on the basis of berth availability, submarine programme and local interference considerations.
	The decision on whether to use Portsmouth or Southampton for visits by United Kingdom nuclear powered submarines will be based on the criteria listed above.

Correspondence

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Parliamentary Business Unit of the Immigration and Nationality Department will reply to the hon. Member for Edinburgh West's letter of 16 February 2006 with regard to his constituent Miss Tendai Rita Mupamhanga.

Tony McNulty: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate responded to the letter from the hon. Member on 21 April 2006.

Fixed Penalties

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the fixed penalty was for a contravention of section 89 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 in each year since the Act came into force.

Hazel Blears: In 1984 the fixed penalty for exceeding the speed limit in contravention of section 89 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 was 20 and three penalty points. This was raised to 24 in 1986, 32 in 1990 and 40 in 1992. From 1 November 2000 the penalty was raised to the current level of 60. The offence is endorsable and the number of penalty points has remained at three from 1984 to date.

Human Trafficking

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to protect the victims of human trafficking;
	(2)  what support is available to the victims of trafficking once discovered by the authorities.

Paul Goggins: Since March 2003 the Home Office has funded the Poppy Scheme which is run by Eaves Housing for Women. The scheme provides safe accommodation and tailored one-to-one support for adult female victims who have been trafficked to the UK and into prostitution. Support is provided on a short term basis, or for longer in return for co-operation with the relevant authorities.
	On the basis of a positive evaluation the Home Office is investing 2.4 million over the next two years to expand the excellent service provided through the POPPY Scheme. This fulfils our commitment to continue funding the core service (25 crisis spaces), and will also provide 10 additional step-down places, the first ever 24-hour national outreach service, and the development of a resource pack for victims, service providers and law enforcement agency staff.
	Assistance and support for child victims is secured through local statutory social services.

Road Traffic Offences

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances a person charged with an offence under section 89 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 would not be prosecuted; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Enforcement of the law relating to speeding offences is a matter for the police who will decide what approach is most effective in different circumstances. Prosecution may be appropriate where the offence is considered too serious for offer of a fixed penalty or may occur where a fixed penalty offer is not accepted. Decisions as to prosecution are ultimately a matter for the Crown prosecution service.

Speed Cameras

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to use the photographs taken by speed cameras to (a) detect and (b) prosecute those seen committing an offence under (i) section 14 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and (ii) the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Enforcement of these offences is an operational matter for the police. There are no such plans of which I am aware. Speed cameras are designed and type approved only to detect vehicles exceeding the speed limit and record an image of them. Enforcement depends on the police witnessing the offences. The likelihood of this is increased by the expanded use of police intercept teams linked to the operation of Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems We expect enforcement of these and other motoring offences to reflect the joint Home Office/Department for Transport/Association of Chief Police Officers Roads Policing Strategy issued last year, the National Policing Plan and the National Community Safety Plan, which emphasise the importance of roads policing and encourage a pro-active approach.

Speed Cameras

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the LTI20.20 mobile speed camera is used by (a) the police in (i) Southend and (ii) Essex and (b) the Metropolitan Police area; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The purchase and use of speed cameras for law enforcement purposes is a matter for individual chief officers of police. I understand however that this particular device is used both by Essex police, including in Southend, and by the Metropolitan Police.
	Speed cameras used by the police to produce evidence for possible use in court have to be of a type approved by the Secretary of State. The laboratory and field testing undertaken prior to the granting of type approval is designed to ensure that all type approved equipment is accurate and reliable when used in accordance with its type approval conditions, in line with the manufacturer's instructions and in accordance with the Code of Practice drawn up by the Association of Chief Police Officers. I am satisfied that all type approved speed cameras, including the LTI 20.20, merit their type approved status and are appropriate for police use.

Afghanistan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2006, Official Report, column 1127W, to the hon. Member for Carmarthen, East and Dinefwr (Adam Price), on Afghanistan, which agencies in Afghanistan are liaising with the UK authorities on the process for the eradication of the poppy crop.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK does not carry out eradication in Afghanistan; eradication policy and implementation is the responsibility of the Government of Afghanistan, in particular, the Ministry of Counter Narcotics and the Ministry of Interior. The Government of Afghanistan's policy on eradication is set out in its National Drug Control Strategy which states that where there are legal livelihoods, a credible threat of eradication is needed in order to incentivise the shift away from poppy cultivation. We will therefore carry out targeted ground-based eradication throughout Afghanistan in order to ensure we make maximum progress towards our long-term elimination goal. The UK supports this approach and in 200506 provided 5.25 million to support the Government of Afghanistan's eradication effort. In particular, the UK supported the Ministry of Counter Narcotics targeting work to identify priority areas for eradication and provided equipment, including tractors and all-terrain vehicles.

Overseas Aid

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has given in overseas development aid excluding debt relief in each of the last 10 years; what percentage of UK gross domestic product these payments constituted; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Set out as follows are details of UK official development assistance (ODA) with and without debt relief as a percentage of gross national income. This is the measure used in international reporting.
	The Government have announced a clear timetable to reach the UN target of 0.7 per cent. of gross national income (GNI) spent on development aid by 2013. Last year UK aid spending as a proportion of GNI rose sharply, reflecting implementation of the Government's plan to increase development assistance set out in its 2004 Spending Round and a significant short-term increase due to debt relief for Nigeria. Debt relief to poor countries frees resources for poverty reduction and is quite rightly classified as official development assistance (ODA).
	ODA, excluding debt relief, rose in cash terms last year but decreased as a proportion of GNI. The main factors were changes in the CDC portfolio and timing of payments to the European development fund. We do not expect these issues to affect the 2006 figures.
	
		
			  UK ODA ( million) ODA as percentage of GNI UK ODA less debt relief ( million) ODA less debt relief as percentage on GNI 
		
		
			 1996 2050 0.27 1998 0.27 
			 1997 2096 0.26 1916 0.24 
			 1998 2332 0.27 2077 0.24 
			 1999 2118 0.24 2048 0.23 
			 2000 2974 0.32 2871 0.31 
			 2001 3179 0.32 2919 0.29 
			 2002 3281 0.31 2878 0.27 
			 2003 3847 0.34 3767 0.34 
			 2004 4302 0.36 3868 0.33 
			 2005(19) 5916 0.48 3879 0.31 
		
	
	(19) Provisional estimates.
	Source:
	DAC online database.

Overseas Aid

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what total aid budget has been allocated to (a) Tanzania, (b) Nepal, (c) Ethiopia, (d) Venezuela and (e) Peru by the UK for 200607; and what percentage each figure represents of each country's GDP.

Hilary Benn: Of the five countries referred to, DFID has bilateral aid programmes in Tanzania, Nepal and Ethiopia. The total aid budget allocated by DFID in 200607 to each country is:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 Tanzania 110,000,000 
			 Nepal 30,000,000 
			 Ethiopia 90,000,000 
		
	
	There is no UK bilateral programme in Venezuela or Peru, however, DFID has allocated 620,000 in 2006 for Andes regional activities which covers Peru, Bolivia and Columbia.
	Projected 200607 GDP figures are not available so it is not possible to say what percentage the 200607 allocations represent in relation to the countries' GDP, but for information, the GDP for each country for the latest year available (2004) is:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 Tanzania 5,921,548,953 
			 Nepal 3,659,813,448 
			 Ethiopia 4,407,543,048 
			 Venezuela 59,656,960,830 
			 Peru 37,323,129,672

Uganda

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of Uganda's budget in the last year for which figures are available was (a) donor sponsored and (b) sponsored by the UK.

Hilary Benn: In the Ugandan financial year of 200405 (which runs from July to June) 47 per cent. of the Government of Uganda's budget was sponsored by donors. In the financial year of 200405, British aid was 4.7 per cent. of the Government of Uganda's budget. This is the last financial year for which data is available.

Civil Service (Travel Expenses)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 16 March 2006, Official Report, column 2490W, on civil service travel expenses, what percentage of travel undertaken by (a) the Department for Agriculture and Rural Affairs and (b) the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) during the last financial year was (i) within Northern Ireland, (ii) between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, (iii) between Northern Ireland and Great Britain and (iv) between Northern Ireland and continental Europe; what percentage of travel costs incurred by the NIO was for air travel between Belfast and London; and what percentage of travel costs was for (A) standard and economy and (B) first and business class travel.

Peter Hain: The cost of NIO travel cannot be disaggregated, except at disproportionate cost. However, it is estimated that less than 10 per cent. of the cost is for travel within NI and between NI and the RoI. It is further estimated that some 80 per cent. of all travel cost is in respect of flights between NI and GB and that less than 1,000 was spent on travel between NI and continental Europe.
	Approximately 90 per cent. of air travel cost was for journeys between Belfast and London and some 94 per cent. of these trips were at business class with the remaining 6 per cent. at economy class.
	NIO business class travel bookings are at competitive rates, are fully flexible and refundable, enable staff to make last minute adjustments to their travel arrangements without a cost penalty to meet the demands of the Department's business.
	Travel costs within the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development cannot be separated into the geographical divisions requested except at disproportionate cost.
	However, it is estimated that some 85 per cent. of expenditure was on mileage, which is likely to relate primarily to travel within Northern Ireland, 12 per cent. related to public transport within the United Kingdom (including air, train and bus fares) and 3 per cent. related to travel outside of the United Kingdom.

Education

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) part-time and (b) full-time students are enrolled in each of the further and higher education institutes in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The latest available data 1 pertaining to student participation in the Northern Ireland further education sector relates to the 2004/05 academic year and is detailed as follows.
	1 Data is a full year count of students.
	
		
			  Mode to attendance 
			 College Full-time Part-time Total 
		
		
			 Armagh 1,053 3,765 4,818 
			 BIFHE(21) 4,326 23,305 27,631 
			 Castlereagh 938 6,024 6,962 
			 Causeway 897 4,540 5,437 
			 East Antrim 1,301 7,575 8,876 
			 East Down 1,132 5,299 6,431 
			 East Tyrone 626 8,490 9,116 
			 Fermanagh 841 8,010 8,851 
			 Limavady 126 4,421 4,547 
			 Lisburn 880 4,268 5,148 
			 Newry and Kilkeel 1,436 9,375 10,811 
			 North Down and Ards 2,514 8,119 10,633 
			 North East 1,986 6,994 8,980 
			 North West 2,726 12,250 14,976 
			 Omagh 452 5,468 5,920 
			 Upper Bann 1,128 9,589 10,717 
			 Total 22,362 127,492 149,854 
		
	
	(21) Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education.
	Source:
	FESR.

Long-term Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people in the NHS in Northern Ireland have been on long-term sick leave in each of the last three years (a) in total and (b) broken down by grade, and how many were suffering from stress.

Shaun Woodward: Pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2006, Official Report, column 491W, I am now in a position to provide the information requested.
	
		Number of episodes of long-term sick leave (28+ days) by year
		
			 Staff group 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Admin and clerical 1,596 1,604 1,617 
			 Ambulance 103 165 175 
			 Ancillary and general 2,135 2,137 2,079 
			 Medical and dental 115 118 134 
			 Nursing and midwifery 3,436 3,371 3,551 
			 Professional and technical 668 661 667 
			 Social services 1,120 1,134 1,201 
			 Works and maintenance 84 81 65 
			 Total 9,257 9,271 9,489 
		
	
	
		Number of episodes of long-term stress related sick leave by year
		
			 Staff group 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Admin and clerical 287 325 303 
			 Ambulance 48 51 54 
			 Ancillary and general 414 432 394 
			 Medical and dental 9 14 17 
			 Nursing and midwifery 505 588 544 
			 Professional and technical 96 111 109 
			 Social services 195 248 233 
			 Works and maintenance 9 13 5 
			 Total 1,563 1,782 1,659 
		
	
	These figures include episodes of sick leave, which commenced between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2005. If an episode runs beyond the end of a particular year, it may be counted again in the following year. Stress-related illnesses such as nervous debility/anxiety and depression are included in the figures.

Medical Equipment

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what is the most expensive piece of medical equipment in each hospital in Northern Ireland; and how many continuous hours per day each is operation.

Shaun Woodward: pursuant to the reply, 18 April 2006, Official Report, c. 492W
	I am now in a position to provide the information requested.
	This information is not held centrally. The following information has been supplied by health and social services trusts which provide acute hospital services. In some instances it has not been possible to provide the number of hours the equipment is used on a daily basis. My department is currently examining the diagnostic capacity available within the HPSS as part of my elective care reforms which are designed to reduce waiting times for inpatient day case and outpatient procedures.
	
		
			 Hospital Equipment Daily Usage 
		
		
			 Altnagelvin Group HSS Trust   
			 Altnagelvin Hospital MRI Scanner 8:457:15 (5days a week) 
			
			 Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust   
			 Belfast City Hospital High Energy Linear Accelerator 8:3020.00 (5 days a week) 
			
			 Causeway HSS Trust   
			 Causeway Hospital CT Scanner 8 hours a day (full emergency CT service night and weekends). 
			
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust 
			 Craigavon Hospital MRI Scanner 9:007:00 (5 days a week) 
			 South Tyrone Hospital CT Scanner 9:007:00 (full emergency CT service night and weekends) 
			 Lurgan Hospital Mammography Equipment 9:007:00 (5 days a week) 
			
			 Down Lisburn HSS Trust   
			 Downe Hospital CT Scanner 9:007:00 (full emergency CT service night and weekends). 
			 Lagan Valley Hospital CT Scanner 9:007:00 (full emergency CT service night and weekends). 
			
			 Green Park Healthcare HSS Trust   
			 Musgrave Park Hospital Magnetom Avanta MRI Scanner 12 hours a day MonFri, (Sat  Sun morning) 
			
			 Mater Hospital HSS Trust   
			 Mater Hospital CT Scanner 9:007:00 (full emergency CT service night and weekends). 
			 Newry  Mourne HSS Trust   
			 Daisy Hill Hospital CT Scanner 9:0017:00 (full emergency CT service night and weekends). 
			
			 Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust   
			 Royal Group of Hospitals MRI Scanner 8:307.00 (plus 34 evenings per week to 9pm) Sat  Sun 8:3012:30. 
			
			 Sperrin Lakeland HSS Trust   
			 Tyrone County Hospital CT Ultrasound system 1 3 examinations a day, 5 days a week (plus emergency 
			   CT service night and weekends) 
			 Erne Hospital CT Ultrasound system 14.5 examinations a day, 5 days a week, (plus emergency CT service night and weekends). 
			
			 Ulster Community  Hospitals HSS Trust 
			 Ulster Hospital MRI Scanner 7 hours a day (5 days a week) 
			 Ards Hospital Computerised Radiography systems 7 hours a day (5 days a week) 
			 Bangor Hospital Computerised Radiography systems 7 hours a day (5 days a week) 
			
			 United Hospitals Group HSS Trust   
			 Antrim Hospital Siemens Magnaton Symphony MRI Scanner 8:307: 00 (5 days a week) 
			 Braid Valley Hospital Siemens General X-Ray Room 9:0017:00 (5 days a week) 
			 Mid Ulster Hospital Toshiba Single slice CT Scanner 4 hours per day. (plus emergency CT service night and weekends) 
			 Moyle Hospital Siemens General X-ray Room 9:0012:30 (5 days a week). 
			 Whiteabbey Hospital Fluoroscopy Room 9:0017:00 (Full emergency service).

Northern Ireland Civil Service

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment has been carried out to ensure that filling of vacancies in the Northern Ireland Civil Service from (a) departmental transfer lists and (b) the central transfer list complies with (i) section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and (ii) all other equality obligations.

Angela Smith: The process of filling vacancies from departmental transfer lists has not been assessed against equality obligations, including Section 75. The central policy on staff transfers has not been subject to equality screening; however, the policy is currently under review. The expectation is that the new policy will establish a consistent approach to filling vacancies across the NICS and the policy will be subject to the equality impact assessment process.

Parking

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many fixed penalties were issued during 2005 in Northern Ireland Department for Regional Development pay and display car parks in respect of vehicles that did not have the correct payment sticker displayed on the windscreen.

Shaun Woodward: The chief executive of roads service has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 25 April 2006
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a parliamentary question regarding how many fixed penalties were issued during 2005 in Northern Ireland Department for Regional Development pay and display car parks in respect of vehicles that did not have the correct payment sticker displayed on the windscreen.
	As this issue falls within my responsibility as chief executive of roads service, I have been asked to reply.
	I should explain that in roads service's pay and display car parks, a fee is levied based on the length of time that the driver intends to park. If a vehicle fails to display evidence that a fee has been paid, an Alternative Charge ticket is issued. However, if a fee has been paid, but is insufficient for the length of stay, an Excess Charge ticket is issued.
	I can advise that during 2005 roads service issued 16,112 Alternative Charge and 4,908 Excess Charge tickets.

Still-births

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) financial assistance and (b) support is available for expectant mothers in Northern Ireland who deliver a still-born baby.

Peter Hain: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) A stillbirth is defined in The Stillbirth Definition (Northern Ireland) Order, 1992 as
	The complete expulsion from its mother, after the 24th week of pregnancy, of a child which did not at any time after being completely expelled or extracted breathe or show any other evidence of life.
	Such an event prior to 24 weeks is treated as a miscarriage. This distinction is reflected in the financial assistance available.
	If a pregnancy does not result in the issue of a living child, depending on her individual circumstances, a woman may be entitled to receive financial support as follows:
	(i) If the pregnancy ends before 24 weeks; incapacity benefit, statutory sick pay and income support;
	(ii) If the pregnancy ends after 24 weeks; statutory maternity pay, maternity allowance, income support, a social fund funeral payment and a sure start maternity grant.
	(b) Trained staff within the Health and Personal Social Services (HPSS) in Northern Ireland offer a wide range of support to the bereaved. This is in addition to the services available from voluntary, community and church organisations. In July 2005 the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (NI) published a Careplan for Women who Experience a Miscarriage, Stillbirth or Neonatal Death. This document is designed to promote quality and effective care and forms a basis for trusts to develop their arrangements in accordance with local needs and circumstances. It can be viewed at www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/hoi-careplan.pdf.
	In March 2006, a HPSS regional bereavement network for Northern Ireland was established. It comprises five area co-ordinators based in local hospitals, and will help make a significant contribution to developing support for those who experience a stillbirth.

Business Investment

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of business investment was as a percentage of gross domestic product in (a) the UK, (b) Germany, (c) France, (d) the US and (e) other OECD countries in each of the last 10 years.

John Healey: On average between 1997 and 2004, UK business investment has grown more than any other G7 economy except Canada, and more than both the euro area and OECD averages.
	The data requested is available from the OECD Economic Outlook (Source OECD database), which is available through the House of Commons Library.

Consultants

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs and its predecessor bodies spent on consultants in (a) each year between 1997 and 200001 and (b) 200506.

Dawn Primarolo: The former Inland Revenue spent the following amounts on consultancy between 1997 and 200001:
	
		
			  Amount ( million) 
		
		
			 199798 9.2 
			 199899 15.8 
			 19992000 35.0 
		
	
	Data is not available for the former Customs and Excise for these years.
	Audited figures for HMRC for 200506 are not available.

Tax Credits

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many disabled adults have claimed tax credits in each month since April 2003 in Coventry South.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 31 January 2006, Official Report, column 414W.

Benefits

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) benefits and (b) other assistance are offered by his Department to those who act as carers for ill or disabled relatives in West Lancashire; what measures are in place to encourage higher levels of take-up of such benefits; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The administration of carer's allowance is a matter for the chief executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. member with the information requested.
	Letter from Vivien Hopkins
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) benefits and (b) other assistance are offered by his Department to those who act as carers for ill or disabled relatives in West Lancashire; what measures are in place to encourage higher levels of take-up of such benefits; and if he will make a statement.
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service (DCS). In the Chief Executive's absence I have been asked to reply on his behalf.
	In answer to parts (a) and (b) of your question, depending on their personal circumstances, carers have access to the full range of social security benefits. Those who provide regular and substantial care of at least 35 hours a week for a severely disabled person receiving Attendance Allowance or the equivalent rates of the Disability Living Allowance care component can be entitled to a Carer's Allowance and if on a low income, to the carer premium in the income-related benefits or the carer's additional amount in Pension Credit.
	Information on the recipients of carer's related benefits in West Lancashire is provided in the following table:
	
		Recipients of carer's related benefits in the Westminster parliamentary constituency of West Lancashire as at August 2005
		
			 Benefit Claimants 
		
		
			 Carer's allowance 900 
			 Carer's additional amount paid with pension credit 500 
			   
			 Carer's premium with income-related benefits  
			 Income support 400 
			 Income based jobseeker's allowance  
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Definitions and conventions: - Nil or Negligible;. Not applicable.
	2. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. Carer's allowance: Total shows the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.
	4. Pension credit: Pension credit was introduced on 6 October 2003 and replaced minimum income guarantee (income support for people aged 60 or over).
	5. Parliamentary constituencies are allocated by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS Postcode Directory.
	6. A smaller number of former MIG cases did not convert to pension credit on 6 October 2003. These cases have been excluded from the figures and are mainly cases where the claimant is aged under 60 and the partner over 60.
	7. IS, PC and CA figures are taken from 100 per cent. WPLS data.
	8. JSA (IB) figure is derived by applying 5 per cent. proportions to 100 per cent. WPLS data.
	9. August 2005 is the latest published data available.
	Source:
	DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS).
	Information directorate, 5 per cent. samples.
	Information on housing benefit (HB) and council tax benefit (CTB) recipients with a carer premium in the North West Government office region (GOR) is provided in the following table:
	
		HB/CTB recipients with a carer premium in North West GORas at May 2004
		
			 Thousands 
			 Benefit Number of recipients 
		
		
			 Housing benefit 24 
			 Council tax benefit 32 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand.
	2. HB/CTB data refers to households and may be a single person or a couple.
	3. HB figures exclude any extended payment cases.
	4. CTB figures exclude any single adult rebate cases.
	5. The figures are based on a 1 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	6. May 2004 are the latest data available.
	7. The lowest level the figures can be broken down to is GOR, therefore figures have been provided for North West GOR.
	Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 2004.
	In answer to the second part of your question asking what measures are in place to encourage higher levels of take-up of such benefits, information and advice about entitlement to Carer's Allowance and other benefits are available from a range of outlets. These include the DCS' Benefit Enquiry Line which is a dedicated helpline, providing advice and information to disabled people and carers or representatives, social security offices, Jobcentre Plus offices, DWP and other internet sites, local authorities, Citizens Advice and welfare benefit offices, public libraries, health clinics, doctors' surgeries and health visitors. Officials from the DCS also discuss Carer's Allowance at outreach events throughout Great Britain, including West Lancashire.
	I hope this is helpful.

Electoral Reform

James Duddridge: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on voter participation of the narrowness of the majority of the sitting hon. Member.

Bridget Prentice: My Department has not made an assessment. Research into the relationship between voter participation and the contestability of seats has not led to a consensus on its impact. It is one of many factors which people may take into account in deciding whether to vote.

Advertising and Marketing

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2006, Official Report, column 139W, on advertising and marketing campaigns, what financial limits will be placed on advertising of services by hospitals.

Liam Byrne: The initial principles set out in The NHS in England: The Operating Framework for 200607 state that providers will not want to spend excessively on marketing and are likely to welcome clear guidance on what is acceptable. As indicated in my earlier response, the Department is currently working with key stakeholders, such as the NHS Confederation, the Foundation Trust Network, the Healthcare Commission, and NHS Partners, in order to develop this guidance, which will be published later in the year.

Agenda for Change

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the payments due under Agenda for Change will be made; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The new pay system has been designed to support modernisation within the health service and is a pay reform package designed to match pay to the weight of the job. The pay rates under the new system came into effect from the 1 October 2004, and when staff are assimilated any pay increase will normally be back-dated to this date. As at the end of February 2006, 97.1 per cent. of national health service staff had been assimilated, and this is expected to have risen to 99 per cent. at the end of March.

Electricity Cables

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has undertaken into potential health risks associated with living in close proximity to high voltage electricity grid overhead cables.

Caroline Flint: The Department's radiation protection research programme supports a number of studies investigating the possible health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF). These range from laboratory work investigating possible cellular effects to large population studies. In addition, the Department, along with the Health and Safety Executive, has supported the World Health Organization's international EMF project since it started in 1997.
	The Health Protection Agency's radiation protection division (HPA-RPD) keeps the worldwide research findings on electromagnetic fields (EMF) and health continually under review. In 2004, on the basis of a comprehensive review of the existing body of research to date, the HPA-RPD, previously the national radiological protection board, recommended the adoption of new EMF exposure guidelines in this country. In addition, in view of the scientific uncertainties in relation to power frequency EMF, the HPA recommended the Government
	consider the need for further precautionary measures.
	They have also noted that the majority of elevated magnetic fields are due to variations in the electricity supply and distribution system, the presence of substations and equipment in the home rather than proximity to high voltage overhead cables.
	Practical precautionary measures are now being considered in detail by a stakeholder advisory group, SAGE, that includes Government Departments, agencies, electricity industry, specialists and public concern groups. Details of the process can be found on its website at www.rkpartnership.co.uk/sage

Health Care (Elderly People)

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what legislation governs the hiring of (a) paid and (b) volunteer staff within health care facilities caring for the elderly.

Liam Byrne: When employing staff, including those working with older people, the national health service is required to follow the guidance, Safer Recruitment, issued in May 2005. Safer Recruitment covers all the pre and post-appointment checks, including checks against the protection of children act list that NHS employers are required to make before appointing anyone, including employees, volunteers, students and trainees, to a position in the NHS. A copy is available in the Library.
	In regulated social care, providers must comply with regulations on pre-employment checks made under the Care Standards Act 2000, which came into force in April 2002. The responsibility for carrying out pre-employment checks, including Criminal Records Bureau and protection of vulnerable adults checks where applicable, rests with the relevant employer.
	In response to Sir Michael Bichard's inquiry in June 2004, the Department, in conjunction with the Department for Education and Skills has been developing a new vetting and barring scheme. Legislation to provide for the scheme, which will apply to all NHS and social care settings, was introduced in the other place in February 2006.

Home Treatment

Dai Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Health and Social Care White Paper, whether she plans to give further support to new technologies that treat patients at home and prevent hospitalisation.

Liam Byrne: As a part of its prime role to deliver the national programme for information technology and to link this with the necessary improvements in clinical processes and services, the Department's NHS Connecting for Health agency is working with suppliers to encourage the development of relevant innovative information technology. It is also supporting the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's digital challenge for English local authorities by helping the national health service to work locally with the public and other agencies to develop joined-up approaches to supporting citizens to lead healthier lives in their local communities.
	In addition, the Department is providing 80 million over the next 2 years for a preventative technology grant to support 160,000 older people stay in their own homes. The purpose of the grant is to initiate a change in the design and delivery of health, social care and housing services and prevention strategies to enhance and maintain the well-being and independence of individuals.
	The white paper our health our care our say commits us to undertake a large-scale pilot exploring the potentials of technology, over a number of sites covering a total of at least 1 million people. We anticipate the pilot sites will commence by the end of 2006.

Mobile Telephones

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to update the leaflets on the health risks of mobile telephones and mobile telephone base stations published by her Department six years ago.

Caroline Flint: The leaflets on Mobile Phones and Health and on Mobile Phone Base Stations and Health were produced following the comprehensive review of the science published by the independent expert group on mobile phones (the Stewart report) in 2000. The Stewart report remains the basis of science underpinning the health policy relating to exposure mobile phone radio waves. However, in view of the time elapsed and the need to provide up-to-date information, consideration is currently being given to a revised version of the leaflets.

NHS Litigation Authority

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 April 2006 to question 62399, what the basis was of her statement that the NHS litigation authority (NHSLA) does not record the legal funding arrangements of claimants; and what records were provided by the NHSLA to the authors of the report on the funding of personal litigation commissioned by the Department for Constitutional Affairs as part of the 'large scale data set provided by the NHSLA'.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 24 April 2006
	The NHS litigation authority (NHSLA) will record the legal funding arrangements of claimants when legal proceedings are issued. As a defendant organisation, they will not necessarily know about the funding status of claims that are pre-litigation, unless the information is offered by the claimant. Information on the funding arrangements of claimants is therefore collected but necessarily incomplete.
	The NHSLA provided a dataset containing information on a total of 58,120 cases involving litigation against the national health service related to clinical care for the report 'The Funding of Personal Injury Litigation: comparisons over time and jurisdictions,' February 2006. The following caveat to the data was quoted in the report:
	It is important to note that the proportion of CFA [conditional fee arrangement] funded cases implied by these figures is an underestimate of the proportion of cases run by claimants on a CFA basis. This is because the NHSLA, as a defendant organisation, is unlikely to know about the funding status of claims which were closed without payment of costs.

NHS Pension Scheme

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects the resource accounts for the NHS pension scheme for 200405 to be published.

Liam Byrne: The NHS Pension Scheme Resource Account for 200405 was laid before the House on 30 January 2006 and copies of the account are available in the Library.
	The NHS Pensions Agency is in the process of producing printed and bound copies of the accounts, and these will be available from The Stationery Office within the next few weeks.

Public Information

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on her Department's public relations and information services in each of the last 5 years for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The following table shows the Department's expenditure on publicity and advertising for the last five years.
	
		
			million 
			 Financial year Advertising expenditure Publicity 
		
		
			 200001 20.80 24.32 
			 200102 20.41 16.82 
			 200203 23.13 11.72 
			 200304 38.98 13.37 
			 200405 37.80 15.16

Vaccinations (Schools)

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance school nurses receive on vaccines that they deliver in schools; and what understanding they are expected to have of the disease they are vaccinating against.

Caroline Flint: The Department produces a number of resources to support health professionals in the implementation of the routine childhood immunisation programme. These resources are sent directly to primary care trusts (PCTs) to cascade to the appropriate health professionals.
	Detailed information on the tetanus/diphtheria/inactivated polio vaccine (Td/IPV) routinely given by school nurses, and the diseases it protects against, is available at the publication Immunisation against infectious diseaseThe 'Green Book' chapters on Diphtheria, Hib, Pertussis, Polio and Tetanus, and the DTaP/IPV/Hib for babies, DTaP/IPV for pre-school and Td/IPV for teenagers.
	Both these publications were sent directly to PCTs at the time of publication. The Department also produces a leaflet aimed at teenagers and parents, to support school nurses and the routine immunisation programme for 13 to 18 years olds entitled, Teenage immunisations (school years 8 to 13, ages 13 to 18) your questions answered.
	All of these publications are available either from the Department's publications line free of charge or via the website at www.immunisation.nhs.uk